LIGHTNING ON A QUIET NIGHT - Donn Taylor - One Free Book

Bio: Donn Taylor led an Infantry rifle platoon in the Korean War, served with Army aviation in Vietnam, and worked with air reconnaissance in Europe and Asia. Afterwards, he earned a PhD in English literature (Renaissance) and for eighteen years taught literature at two liberal arts colleges. He was chosen by faculty as "Scholar of the Year" at one and by students as "Professor of the Year" at the other. His poetry is collected in his book Dust and Diamond: Poems of Earth and Beyond. In addition to his historical novel Lightning on a Quiet Night, he has published two suspense novels and a light-hearted mystery. He is a frequent speaker at writers’ conferences and groups. He lives near Houston, TX, where he writes fiction and poetry, as well as essays on writing, ethical issues, and U.S. foreign policy.

Welcome back, Donn. What are some of the spiritual themes you like to write about?
In one form or another, I write about the incompleteness of a life without Christ. Noble deeds themselves are never enough to satisfy: They have to be done in the context of Christian faith. Further, focusing too much on virtuous actions (instead of God as the source of virtue) can become a kind of idolatry. I write about characters whose demand for truth and integrity leads them inevitably to the Christian faith. Stated bluntly like this, these ideas don't seem like much. They only become meaningful when dramatized in the experience of a life-like character. I also celebrate the effect of God’s continuing work in the world (John 5:17). Why else does Christendom not practice the savagery that characterizes the rest of the world?

What other books of yours are coming out soon?

I'm trying to place a sequel to my mystery Rhapsody in Red, and I'm working on a sequel to the sequel.

I loved that book. If you could spend an evening with one contemporary person (not a family member of yours), who would it be and why?

I would choose the Hoover Institute scholar and syndicated columnist Thomas Sowell. We are about the same age, and we both served in the Korean War. But more important than that, Sowell practices an absolute intellectual integrity. To faddish topics like race, slavery, and political correctness, he brings wide-ranging, solid research, and he does not commit on any issue until the facts lead him to a conclusion. He is a constant breath of fresh air in the nation's poisonous fog of fashionable opinion.

What historical person would you like to meet (besides Jesus) and why?

It's a tossup between these two: First, the British naval hero Horatio Hornblower. I'd like to ask him how he recovered a large group of European slaves from their African masters without paying a cent or firing a shot. (His biography is silent on that.) The second person would be the biblical character Zaccheus, the tax collector Jesus called down from the tree. Zaccheus is usually interpreted as having gotten his wealth dishonestly, but I think that's a bum rap. As I do the math on what he promised Jesus, he had to have come by his wealth mostly by honest means, or Jesus would have called him out for lying. I'd like to talk to him about it.

How can you encourage authors who have been receiving only rejections from publishers?

If we haven't read their writing, we're limited to repeating stories about how many times some famous author got rejected. If we have read their writing, we can give honest critiques of it, crediting its strengths and identifying not more than three areas that need further study and work. I always begin and end by reminding them that Shakespeare began as a beginner.

Tell us about the featured book.

Lightning on a Quiet Night is a historical novel set in Northeast Mississippi in 1948, shortly after WW II and in the days when the Cold War was taking shape. It focuses on a small town, too proud of its virtues, that has to reconcile its vain self-image with the reality of its first murder. The young veteran Jack Davis holds that idyllic vision of the town and tries to share it with Lisa Kemper, newly arrived from Indiana. But she is repelled by everything in town. While the sheriff tries to find the murderer, Jack and Lisa's contentious courtship reveals the town's strange combination of acute perceptions and surprising blind spots. Then they stumble onto shocking discoveries about some of the town's foremost citizens. Beyond placing Jack and Lisa in danger for their lives, these discoveries pose a question: Will they lead the town to repentance? Or to denial and continuation in vanity?

Please give us the first page of the book.

The northeast Mississippi town of Beneficent, "A Town As Good As Its Name," had never known a murder until Friday, January 9, 1948. Nor, in the oldest memory of its 479 citizens, had the town known a single felony.

Until the fatal moment, that January day progressed as hundreds had before. The winter dawn came late, struggling through clouds and fog to shed a dull gray light more kin to night than day. Cold rain fell to drench the thrush-brown land, and stolid hardwoods thrust black skeletal limbs upward against an iron-gray sky. Farmers revised work plans in deference to the rain, and storekeepers pondered its effect on weekend sales. But more than rain would be required that night to keep them from the Coosa County basketball tournament, an event as fundamental to their lives as seedtime and harvest. From all corners of the county they came in mud-spattered pickups, the less affluent in mule-drawn wagons, to converge on Beneficent. All brought good spirits to share an experience that came but once a year.

Yet among that cheerful crowd one stranger would come unwilling …

In her bedroom in the darkening evening, Lisa Kemper stared at the rain that drummed against her window. She did not want to be there at all.

How shall we sing the Lord's song in a strange land? The psalmist's words leaped unbidden into her mind, but she shut them out. She was not here in captivity, the puddles in her yard were not the waters of Babylon, and she would not sit down by them and weep.

Still, she hadn't bargained for this. After her mother's death last August, she'd postponed graduate school for a year to help her father adjust to life as a widower. Then she would get on with her studies—that is, if she could ever decide what to study. But when she made that decision in August, she never dreamed Stephen Kemper would leave his position with an Indiana corporation to manage the small chemical plant the company was building here.

From first sight, she detested this backward town. She abhorred the unkempt fields and unpainted barns nearby, so different from the well-tended farms of Indiana.  Most of all, she abhorred the boastful motto "A Town As Good As Its Name" and the complacency of the townspeople who thought they made it that way.

How can readers find you on the Internet?

My Web site is www.donntaylor.com. I'm on Facebook at www.facebook.com/donntaylor and www.facebook.com/authordonntaylor, as well as Twitter at www.twitter.com/donntaylor3.

Thank you, Donn, for sharing this new book with us today.

Readers, here are links to the book. By using one when you order, you help support this blog.
Lightning on a Quiet Night Paperback
Lightning on a Quiet Night: In the years following World War II, a town too proud of its own virtues deals with its first murder. ($1.99 Book Series) - Kindle

Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. Please tell us where you live, at least the state or territory. (Comments containing links may be subject to removal by blog owner.)

Void where prohibited; the odds of winning depend on the number of entrants. Entering the giveaway is considered a confirmation of eligibility on behalf of the enterer in accord with these rules and any pertaining local/federal/international laws.

The only notification you’ll receive is the winner post on this blog. So be sure to check back a week from Saturday to see if you won. You will have 4 weeks from the posting of the winners to claim your book.

If you’re reading this on Goodreads, Google+, Feedblitz, Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, or Amazon, please come to the blog to leave your comment if you want to be included in the drawing. Here’s a link:
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WINNERS!!!!!

Julie (WI) is the winner of Wind in the Wires by Janet Chester Bly.

Lourdes (NY) is the winner of Broken Silence by Annslee  Urban.

Deanne (PA) is the winner of A Heart's Desire and A Heart's Obsession by Colleen Coble.

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Congratulations, everyone. If you won a print book, send me your mailing address:
Click the Contact Me link at the top of the blog, and send me an Email.

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Remember, you have 4 weeks to claim your book.

MEET 22 NORTH TEXAS AUTHORS - Numerous Genres

If you already own some of my books, bring them along, and I'll sign them for you. I love meeting my fans face-to-face and meeting news ones as well. 

THE INN AT OCEAN'S EDGE - Colleen Coble - One Free Book

Dear Readers, I’ve often told you how much I love Colleen Coble’s romantic suspense novels. Her plots are very complicated and her characters leap off the pages. The Inn at Ocean’s Edge is such a good example of her writing. With a mystery that spans two generations and characters with a lot to hide, the story kept me turning pages as quickly as I could read them. I know you’ll love this story.

Welcome back, Colleen. Since you’re being published regularly, what new avenues will your future books take?      

I’m totally in my sweet spot of romantic mysteries and plan to stay there. I write what I love to read. With The Inn at Ocean’s Edge, I veer more deeply into layers and complexity though. It was super fun to write!

What conferences will you be attending this year? Will you be a speaker at any of them?

I’ll be at my beloved American Christian Fiction Writers Conference in Dallas September 17-20th, but I’m not speaking this year. I’m also attending the Romantic Times Convention May 13-15th in Dallas and will be chatting with readers at our annual “How Sweet It Is” breakfast. I’ll also be at the International Christian Retail Show in Orlando June 29-30th. I’ll be on a fiction panel on the 30th.            

If you were in charge of planning the panel discussion at a writing conference, what topic would the panel cover, and who would you ask to be on the panel, and why?    

I would have a topic on the importance of attending a conference every year if you’re a writer. It’s so important to network with other writers, with agents and editors, with publicists, and with publishers. You’d be a good one on that panel, Lena! You’re very good at that.

Thank you, Colleen. I do agree with you on the importance of conferences and the connections we make there. How important is it to you to be active in writing organizations?

You never arrive as a writer. There is always something new to learn, something you can do better. That’s one of the many things I love about my career! It’s very important to me to give back too, to reach out and help others up. When I was first dipping my toe in the writing life, I didn’t even know another writer, and it was a very lonely time. You think others can’t possibly understand the way your mind works, but there are people out there you will click with, writers you will learn from, and people who will help you. It’s an exciting way to live! 

Both of us started writing in that time before all the organizations and conferences to help writers. I’m sure that’s why we appreciate all the things available for writers now. And I told my husband that I don’t want to stop learning until I die. Where in the community or your church do you volunteer?

I am always helping out at church. I take turns with our pastor hosting our monthly small groups at church, and I take my turn in the nursery when I’m needed. I sing in the choir and have been an integral part of my church for nearly thirty years. I love my church dearly!

Who are the five people who have made the most impact on your life, and how?       

Diann Hunt was a sister-of-the heart. She lost her battle with ovarian cancer in Nov of 2013, and I miss her so much. Her zest for life and love for Jesus permeated everything she did, and the joy in her life spilled over to others and taught us how to live. She will always be a part of me.

My grandmother Eileen was my soul mate. She was always there for me no matter what. She believed in me and encouraged me. I’ve always been so sad that the call from Barbour came after her death.

My brother Randy’s death in a freak lightning accident propelled me into writing. I’d had the dream a long time, but I hadn’t had the courage to try. Randy had a lot of dreams that went unfulfilled too, and his death was a wake-up call that I should follow my dream or it might never happen.

My family would have to take up the final two mentions even though there are more than two of them! My parents, brothers, husband, and kids have always encouraged me. Many times I wanted to give up my writing dream, but my husband Dave wouldn’t let me. I’d get a rejection, and he’d insist I send it out again. And he’s the bravest person I know with so much love in his heart. I’m very blessed to be married to him for 43 years now.

If you could write the inscription on your tombstone, what would it be?

Dream big. God has dreamed a bigger dream for me than I ever thought could come true. I just wanted to have ONE book in the library. I couldn’t see anything bigger than that.     

Tell us about the featured book.    

I wanted to explore how God supplies our needs with the people he puts in our lives. I was thinking so much of Diann when I wrote the book. She was in the final stages of her battle with ovarian cancer, and writing The Inn at Ocean’s Edge was my solace during that time.

Claire goes to a magnificent inn on a remote island in Maine to help seal a deal her father is hammering out with another aviation company. The minute she steps onto the marble tile of the hotel, she has a panic attack and rushes out where she meets Luke who realizes she’s the little girl who went missing here on the island when she was four. She wasn’t found for a year and no one knows where she was or who had her during that year. Luke’s mother disappeared that same night, and he’s convinced that if Claire can remember that night, it might lead to the truth about what happened to his mother.

It’s a very complex story with lots of layers, and I’m excited to get feedback from readers!

I loved Diann, too. I was thrilled that a novella written by her was included in the novella collection I’m in that released last month, 8 Weddings and a Miracle. Please share the first page The Inn at Ocean’s Edge for my readers.       

July 4, 1989

The sea was near. Though she couldn’t see it, she smelled the salt air and heard its roar as it hit the rocks close by. The branches around her held scary shadows. The forest was thick here, and she put her hand on the rough bark of a tree that smelled like Christmas. Mommy had told her to stay far away from the rocks. But which way are they? It was too dark to tell. She was afraid to move for fear she’d tumble off a cliff. All she’d wanted to do was go fishing.

She strained to hear her mother’s voice, but only noises like screeches and rustling little things in the grass came to her ears. Tears hovered in her eyes and closed her throat. She swiped the back of her hand across her face. Daddy always said crying wouldn’t fix anything. It would just make her head hurt.

Mommy would be so upset when she saw her torn dress. Daddy had brought it for her, and he would be angry when he saw her mud-splattered tights and patent leather shoes. Somewhere she’d lost the bow in her hair, and stringy locks hung in her eyes. There was something on the ground, and she stopped and picked it up. A lady’s scarf that smelled of flowers. She bunched it in her hand and stepped over an umbrella in her path.

Where can my readers find you on the Internet?

My website is colleencoble.com and I’m very active on Facebook at colleencoblebooks. I love to hear from readers!

I love the way our readers can connect with us on Facebook. Thank you for sharing this new book with us today, Colleen.

Readers, here are links to the book. By using one when you order, you help support this blog.
The Inn at Ocean's Edge - Christianbook.com
The Inn at Ocean's Edge (Sunset Cove Novel) - Amazon
The Inn at Ocean's Edge (A Sunset Cove Novel Book 1) - Kindle

Christian Book Store

Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. Please tell us where you live, at least the state or territory. (Comments containing links may be subject to removal by blog owner.)

Void where prohibited; the odds of winning depend on the number of entrants. Entering the giveaway is considered a confirmation of eligibility on behalf of the enterer in accord with these rules and any pertaining local/federal/international laws.

The only notification you’ll receive is the winner post on this blog. So be sure to check back a week from Saturday to see if you won. You will have 4 weeks from the posting of the winners to claim your book.

If you’re reading this on Goodreads, Google+, Feedblitz, Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, or Amazon, please come to the blog to leave your comment if you want to be included in the drawing. Here’s a link:
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SHE SHALL BE PRAISED - Ruth Axtell - One Free Book

Welcome back, Ruth. What are some of the spiritual themes you like to write about?

Salvation! That always makes for a great theme. I also like to write about a character deepening his or her walk with God. This usually involves facing some internal battle, whether it is forgiveness, bitterness, or some other stronghold or weakness in one’s makeup.

What other books of yours are coming out soon?

I have another historical romance coming out later this spring, tentatively titled Freedom’s Enduring Flame.

If you could spend an evening with one contemporary person (not a family member of yours), who would it be and why?

K.P. Yohannan, the founder of Gospel for Asia. I’ve read a couple of his books and admire his steadfast mission to reach the “unreached” people of Asia, primarily in India.

What historical person would you like to meet (besides Jesus) and why?

Some of the great evangelists of the 19th/early 20th century like Charles Spurgeon, D.L. Moody, and Smith Wigglesworth. I’d love to hear about their conversion experiences and about their walk with God.

How can you encourage authors who have been receiving only rejections from publishers? 

Get some tough critiquers—people who read in the genre you write in and are willing to read your manuscript and give you their honest feedback. You may not like it, but if you get enough people with a similar reaction, you’ll have an idea of what might be lacking in your writing.

Tell us about the featured book.

I first had the idea for She Shall Be Praised from a dream some years ago (so I can’t recall the dream). As I mulled over the initial idea, somehow it evolved into a sequel to The Rogue’s Redemption. She Shall Be Praised is the story of one of the heroine’s younger sisters from that book.

Please give us the first page of the book.

Paris, France

May 1817

Ordinary Katie Leighton stood on the Quai d’Orsay looking out toward the River Seine. Halfway across the world from her rugged home in Bangor, Maine, she could scarcely believe she was in Paris, the most romantic city on earth.

Arched stone bridges bisected the wide river at even intervals all along its curved length. If she looked eastward to her right, she saw the Pont Royal and just made out the delicate spire of the Sainte Chapelle and, looming behind it, the square towers of the massive Notre Dame cathedral.

These churches—so different from her customary places of worship back home—had withstood the vicissitudes of man and the ravages of nature since the Middle Ages. Most recently, they had barely escaped the fury of the revolutionaries.

If she turned to look across the bridge in front of her, she saw the wide Place Louis XV. It was hard to believe just over twenty years ago, it had run with the blood of the hundreds beheaded upon the guillotine.

A tug on the leash broke Katie’s somber contemplation. Her newly acquired dog broke free of her loose hold and dashed off down the quay, fleeing toward the Esplanade of Les Invalides, his brand new leash trailing after him.

“Come back here, Brioche, you naughty dog!” With an exasperated sigh, Katie lifted her skirts and broke into a run after the scruffy-haired mutt, whose white fur still looked dingy, no matter how many times she bathed him.

Panting more heavily than her dog, she ran under the leafy chestnut trees on either side of one of the avenues of the spacious, grassy esplanade which sloped towards the river, her feet feeling every tiny stone through her thin leather soles. Brioche showed no signs of slowing down, when abruptly, he veered to the left under some trees.

Oh, dear, no! He was heading straight for one of the poor veterans from the old soldiers’ home out to take the sun! Katie’s hand flew to her mouth in horror, and she stepped up her pace despite the stitch in her side. Surely Brioche wouldn’t knock the old man’s wheeled chair over!

But Brioche seemed intent on something else. He stopped right before the soldier and began sniffing the grass at his feet.

Katie arrived at the spot thoroughly winded. She could hardly get the words out, “Oh, par—don—nez-moi, m—mon—sieur. Je suis desolée—” The apology in French was hardly intelligible even to her own ears.

The man was not listening and continued leaning forward in his chair, groping the grass before him.

Katie gasped. The man was blind! Her heart contracted in immediate pity, for he was no old veteran. Under a shock of untidy black hair, a young, unlined face swung toward her—deep-set dark eyes fixed unseeing in her direction, black eyebrows drawn together in a scowl.

He must have been wounded in the recent war. Poor, poor dear!

“Qui est là?” came the sharp, peremptory words.

“Pardonnez, monsieur,” she repeated, fumbling for the proper words in French. “It was only my dog. He got away from me—”

Reminded of Brioche’s presence, the soldier thrust out his hand. “Va-t’en, mauvais chien!”

“He’s not a bad dog,” she hastened to reassure him as she grasped Brioche’s collar and pulled her pet out of the way. The dog, his attention still on the grass, whined.

How can readers find you on the Internet?

At my website: http://ruthaxtell.com or through Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ruth.axtell1

Thank you, Ruth, for sharing this new book with us. I can hardly wait for my copy to arrive.

Readers, here is a link to the book. By using one when you order, you help support this blog.
She Shall Be Praised: A Leighton Sisters Novel (The Leighton Sisters Book 2)

Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book, paperback or ebook, your choice. Please tell us where you live, at least the state or territory. (Comments containing links may be subject to removal by blog owner.)

Void where prohibited; the odds of winning depend on the number of entrants. Entering the giveaway is considered a confirmation of eligibility on behalf of the enterer in accord with these rules and any pertaining local/federal/international laws.

The only notification you’ll receive is the winner post on this blog. So be sure to check back a week from Saturday to see if you won. You will have 4 weeks from the posting of the winners to claim your book.

If you’re reading this on Goodreads, Google+, Feedblitz, Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, or Amazon, please come to the blog to leave your comment if you want to be included in the drawing. Here’s a link:
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ENCOURAGEMENT BETWEEN LOADS OF LAUNDRY - Kendra Hunt - One Free Book

Dear Readers, I’m thrilled to introduce you to a dear friend and the wife of one of our pastors. Their family and my family have really connected. I know you’ll love this book. When I opened it and read, “You know you’re a boy mom when all your bedtime stories start with once upon a time there were two wrestlers …, I knew I had to share the book with you.

Welcome, Kendra. What would you like for our readers to know about you personally?

I am a mom, PTA chair, pastor's wife, director for a mentor program, part time accountant, life group leader, section leader, and a writer. I write for ladies' groups and for the magazine Studio G (the magazine of the women’s ministry at Gateway Church in Southlake, Texas). I love encouraging women because I see the best in others when they are struggling to find their strengths. I am inspired by the women in my life to live each day to its fullest.

Tell us about your family.

I have been married to my high school sweetheart for 15 amazing years. We probably have too much fun together. My husband Kam is a pastor, motivational speaker, and a dj. Now you know why we have fun. Life can tend to be one long dance party. Together, we have two boys, Christian, 10 and Koda, 7.

And those boys are so cute. Have you written other nonfiction books?

No

Do you have any other books in the works right now?

I am currently writing as a guest for a few blogs and continue to write as God speaks to my heart.

What kinds of hobbies and leisure activities do you enjoy?

I love to exercise in every way whether it be jogging, taking classes, or popping in a VHS, I mean DVD. Ha! I love a good Tae Bo workout with Billy Blanks. I also love watching my oldest son play baseball and my youngest son dance. Fun with my love, includes dancing for sure. We love to salsa. We also love staying up late talking about life.

Why did you write the featured book?

I had just given birth to my second son and I was drowning in a sea of loneliness. I knew lots of people from church, but I had no real friends. My oldest son was a very difficult little one and my youngest was born cleft lip/palate. I found myself on an island by myself. Kam would head to work, and I was left with two crying kids. In the midst of what I would call crazy, I decided (or Kam forced me) to lead a ladies' group. My very first writing was a personal message that I sent to my group. The ladies asked that I continue sending them emails, and the next thing I knew, I had been writing for 4 years.

What do you want the reader to take away from the book?

I want my readers to walk away encouraged. I understand the demands on women and the time restraints we live with daily, so I feel like giving women encouragement in the length of one page is a reachable goal. Many women look at full length books and feel defeated before they even get started. I titled the book Encouragement Between Loads of Laundry because that is what I hope the book accomplishes. I have had several readers say that the book has taught them that God wants to speak to women in the midst of the most mundane chore they may be doing. God is interested in relationship with us even as we do dishes, fold laundry, answer emails, and mop floors.

Is there anything you’d like to tell my readers about you or your book?

This book is filled with encouragement, humor, and true vulnerability. I pray that women learn to live life simply listening for God's voice in the most unexpected places. He is everywhere. He is near you while you wipe baseboards. He is there while you grocery shop. He is there when you are walking the floor in the middle of the night with a little one. He is even there when you are cleaning toilets. Just listen!

Where on the Internet can the readers find you?

Encouragment Between Loads of Laundry is available for sale from me personally or on Amazon or Amazon Kindle.

www.Facebook.com/kendrahusseyhunt

kendraannehunt@yahoo.com

Thank you, Kendra, for sharing your life and this new book with us.

Readers, here are links to the book. By using one when you order, you help support this blog.

Encouragement...Between Loads of Laundry - paperback
Encouragement...Between Loads of Laundry - Kindle

Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. Please tell us where you live, at least the state or territory. (Comments containing links may be subject to removal by blog owner.)

Void where prohibited; the odds of winning depend on the number of entrants. Entering the giveaway is considered a confirmation of eligibility on behalf of the enterer in accord with these rules and any pertaining local/federal/international laws.

The only notification you’ll receive is the winner post on this blog. So be sure to check back a week from Saturday to see if you won. You will have 4 weeks from the posting of the winners to claim your book.

If you’re reading this on Goodreads, Google+, Feedblitz, Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, or Amazon, please come to the blog to leave your comment if you want to be included in the drawing. Here’s a link:
Http://lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com

LOVE ON THE RUN - Angela Ruth Strong - One Free Ebook

Welcome back, Angela. Tell us how much of yourself you write into your characters.

At first glance, my main character in False Security is nothing like me. She’s a tough former cop with a temper and trust issues. Though we both have a passion for justice. We both stink at business. And we both have amazing grandmothers who love to buy us purses.

What is the quirkiest thing you have ever done?

It’s a toss-up between riding on the shoulders of a unicyclist and winning a hamster ball race.

When did you first discover that you were a writer?

4th grade when we had to write tall-tales for a class assignment. I would pretend to lose the stories so I would have to write a new one each day. The kids in my carpool would read them aloud on the way home, and we would laugh and laugh.

My favorite one was about a dog that caught bank robbers. Funny I’m still writing about bank robbers today.

Tell us the range of the kinds of books you enjoy reading.

I prefer my books to be light-hearted and thought-provoking. Which might be why I like children’s books so much. I also prefer contemporary. My apologies to all you amazing sci-fi, fantasy, and Amish authors.

How do you keep your sanity in our run, run, run world?

Bubble baths.

How do you choose your characters’ names?

Names are one of my favorite things. I try to vary syllables and letters when naming different characters in a story, but it always comes back to intuition. Then I try to give the name meaning, as well.

For example, Laney Winters runs All-Seasons Security. And you find out later in the story that she changed her name to Winters when she moved in with her grandmother as a child. The last part of her life has (figuratively) been a very long winter, and she has to learn trust so that the sun can shine again.

What is the accomplishment that you are most proud of?

Letting go of who I thought I should be.

If you were an animal, which one would you be, and why?

A dolphin.

What is your favorite food?

Homemade bread.

What is the problem with writing that was your greatest roadblock, and how did you overcome it?

Fear of failure. I overcame it by failing. A lot. And becoming stronger because of it.

Tell us about the featured book.

False Security is part of a boxed set of romantic suspense novellas with a couple other romantic suspense authors here in Idaho. They all write for Love Inspired Suspense, while I’m new to the genre. We call ourselves Team Love on the Run. Here’s a little blurb about each of our stories:

False Security

Angela Ruth Strong

Alex Pierce needs Laney Winters to help him prove neither of them is responsible for the millions of dollars that went missing after Laney arrested him for bank robbery five years ago. Besides Laney not believing he truly repented in prison, there’s the problem of the real thief trying to kill her and the police department treating her like a dirty cop. With the possibility of another crime being pinned on them, Laney finally teams up with Alex to save her life. If only she could trust him with her heart, as well.

Framed Secrets

Heather Woodhaven

Small town girl Kathleen Wicks has been looking forward to her first real art show all her life. When Matt Kaplan, handsome stockbroker and her college nemesis, is the first in attendance, Kathleen is sure it's a sick joke ... until he buys one of her paintings to have shipped back home. Elated after a foreign investor then purchases all her work, Kathleen figures she must be on the fast track to making a name for herself. But when the investor returns with a gun and demands to know where the other frame went Kathleen and Matt must find the frame, and the secret it holds, before they get killed. Or worse … fall in love.

Sanctuary Hidden (WITSEC Town Series 2.5)

Lisa Phillips

When Cyan Greene finds decades-old evidence hidden among her dead mother’s belongings she’s plunged back into a world of run and hide. NFL quarterback Nate Mason knows more than he should about the secret witness protection town of Sanctuary where Cyan grew up. He’s the perfect person to protect Cyan; except he doesn’t know a thing about being a bodyguard. When the mob catches up with them, and an old nemesis interferes, Nate is the only one who stands between the woman he’s come to care about … and the people trying to silence her forever.

They all sound intriguing. Please give us the first page of the book.

It wouldn’t take a pro to break into the new law office on Broadway. Glass doors with standard locks and a lack of cameras? Heck, Laney’s own grandmother could do it.

She handed her business folder to the young attorney. It was really a no brainer. He needed security. He’d hire her.

“Basically, I’m offering a consulting package that will help you choose the best equipment and services to prevent crimes—both physical and electronic.”

Joseph Morgan Jr. rifled through the contents of her folder. “And your background is with the Spokane Police Department?”

“Yes.” Hopefully he wouldn’t ask why she didn’t work for them anymore. “I investigated robberies, so I have a lot of experience with what works and what doesn’t.”

Morgan nodded. “Well, thank you very much for your time, Ms. Winters. I have one more consultant I’m going to meet with before making a decision.”

Laney tilted her head. Did he say another consultant? Who else was in the area? There were tons of providers but not any other consultants that she knew of.

Morgan motioned past her. “Oh, here he is now.”

She pivoted, squinting to make out her competition’s face as he strode toward the building. Or more like strutted. He was one of those guys who wore designer jeans with a sports coat and lots of goo in his hair. He wasn’t a consultant. He was a salesman—more interested in getting paid than actually doing the job.

Why did his strut look familiar? Why did her guts turn with dread?

How can readers find you on the Internet?

www.angelaruthstrong.com

www.teamloveontherun.com

http://www.amazon.com/Team-Love-Run-Box-Set-1-ebook/dp/B00TVD8UUY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1426173809&sr=8-1&keywords=team+love+on+the+run

Thank you, Angela, for sharing this new book with us. I can hardly wait for my copy of the book to arrive. I know I'll love it. So will my readers.

Readers, leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. Please tell us where you live, at least the state or territory. (Comments containing links may be subject to removal by blog owner.)

Void where prohibited; the odds of winning depend on the number of entrants. Entering the giveaway is considered a confirmation of eligibility on behalf of the enterer in accord with these rules and any pertaining local/federal/international laws.

The only notification you’ll receive is the winner post on this blog. So be sure to check back a week from Saturday to see if you won. You will have 4 weeks from the posting of the winners to claim your book.

If you’re reading this on Goodreads, Google+, Feedblitz, Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, or Amazon, please come to the blog to leave your comment if you want to be included in the drawing. Here’s a link:

Http://lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com

THE CAPTIVE IMPOSTER - Dawn Crandall - One Free Ebook

Dear Readers, I’m thrilled to once again host this author, who is also represented by the same agent I am. Recently, the first book in this series, The Hesitant Heiress, won the Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence in Romance. We’re all proud of her.

Welcome back, Dawn. God has really been moving in your writing life. What do you see on the horizon?

I need to catch my breath! I know lots of people think I’m super woman and wrote these three books crazy fast, but that isn’t the case at all! They just released from my publisher crazy fast! I had the first two books already written when I signed the book contract, and then had to finish the third while I was struggling through having pregnancy brain, and then having my first baby! I am not a fast writer AT ALL. So, since I’m basically starting from scratch all over again, I really have no idea what kind of time-frame I’ll be working with!

Tell us a little about your family.

I have been married for ten years, and we have a just-turned-one-year-old baby boy. J

Has your writing changed your reading habits? If so, how?

Writing has definitely changed my reading habits. It’s more difficult to get excited about reading a book now because I know I will need to make an effort to turn my editor-brain off to simply enjoy a book. Even with my favorite authors! Not that I find much to “edit”, but it’s the whole mental process of opening the book to find out what’s inside. It’s so different now.

What are you working on right now?

I have always known I would continue on with more characters from this series! Next is Vance Everstone’s turn—that man needs some redemption! And he needs a heroine too!—Violet is introduced in The Captive Imposter! And after that, I plan to revisit two other female characters the readers have been introduced to in the series so far.

What outside interests do you have?

Right now, writing, launching these first three books and being a mom pretty much takes up all my time!

How do you choose your settings for each book?

I just love the Victorian architecture of Back Bay, Boston and the huge cottages of Bar Harbor, Maine! Those were the settings in the first two books. However, the heroine in The Captive Imposter is separated from her family and friends in a much needed break from society. Her story takes place at a mountain resort on a huge lake in Central Maine.

If you could spend an evening with one historical person, who would it be and why?

I would choose to spend the time with Jane Austen, and I would talk about our shared love of writing … and I would gush to her about her books!

What is the one thing you wish you had known before you started writing novels?

I wish I had known how quickly everything would happen! I would have started writing sooner than five years ago.

What new lessons is the Lord teaching you right now?

That I need to depend on HIM to keep my sanity through these crazy, busy times!

What are the three best things you can tell other authors to do to be successful?

Join American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW), go to the national ACFW conference, and connect with fellow serious writers.

Tell us about the featured book.

Sent away for protection, hotel heiress Estella Everstone finds herself living undercover as a lady’s companion named Elle Stoneburner at one of her father’s opulent hotels in the mountains of Maine—the one she'd always loved best and always hoped to own one day, Everston. The one thing she doesn't like about the situation is that her ex-fiancé is in the area and is set on marrying someone else. Reeling from her feelings of being unwanted and unworthy, Estella reluctantly forms a friendship with the gruff manager of Everston, Dexter Blakeley, who seems to have something against wealthy young socialites with too much money, although they are just the kind of people Everston caters to.

When Estella finds herself in need of help, Dexter comes to the rescue with an offer she can't refuse. She sees no other choice aside from going back home to her family and accepts the position as companion to his sister. Throughout her interactions with Dexter, she can't deny the pull that's evidenced between them every time he comes near. Estella realizes that while she's been hiding behind a false name and identity, she’s never been freer to be herself than when she's with Dexter Blakeley. But will he still love her when he finds out she's Estella Everstone? She's not entirely sure.

Please give us the first page of the book.

“This is the forest primeval. The murmuring pines and the hemlocks, bearded with moss, and in garments green, indistinct in the twilight….”

—Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Evangeline

Sunday, September 6, 1891

Portland, Maine

“Everston?” My voice cracked. It sounded very unladylike, which, I supposed, was allowable, considering the situation.

Mrs. Macy and Mrs. Granton both turned to stare at me.

I suppose it was rather odd to them that I’d spoken. I hadn’t said much in the three months they’d known me. It was generally my way, but the mention of Everston had sliced right through my otherwise resolved discreetness.

“Just think, being surrounded by all those green mountains, all that fresh air…. I think Mother will enjoy the cooler weather there. Don’t you, Miss Stoneburner?” Mrs. Macy asked.

As if she valued my opinion.

She didn’t, of course, so I remained silent. I was just the companion she’d hired for her elderly, recently widowed mother, Mrs. Myrtle Granton.

I was only Elle Stoneburner now.

What a shock it would be to Mrs. Macy if I revealed the truth. If only I could tell her that, more than being my reference, the formidable Bram Everstone was also my father, and that Everston—where she proposed sending us—one of his opulent mountain hotels.

I hadn’t been to that particular hotel in thirteen years—ever since the summer before my mother had died. It wasn’t that I thought anyone there might recognize me as Estella Everstone, for I’d been only eight at the time. No, the only person there who might recognize me was the last person on earth I never wanted to see again.

Jay.

Moments later, Mrs. Macy rose from her chair and looked down at me. “Then it’s settled. You’ll leave tomorrow.”

I took in this information as silently as I normally would have, though what I really desired to do was argue that there were plenty of other, wonderfully situated hotels in the Appalachian Mountain region of central Maine that would suffice.

Please, God—anywhere but Everston.

Mrs. Macy walked toward the door to the hall, leaving her mother and me seated upon the sofa. She turned to add, “Miss Stoneburner, you don’t have much to pack. But do help Mother, will you?”

“Yes, ma’am.” I never hated two words more than those! Never in my life had so much been asked of me with nothing given in return. It wore at my reserves every hour of the day. I didn’t know how I would survive the remainder of the summer.

But I really didn’t have a choice.

“Cheer up, young lass.” Mrs. Granton smiled with a sparkle in her eye. “Don’t you know what kinds of adventures await? We will likely find you a fine young husband while we’re there. I’m thinking you would much prefer the position of wife over companion to someone with one foot in the grave.”

“No, Mrs. Granton. You’re wonderful, but I—”

“Wouldn’t you like a husband?”

Jay’s chocolate brown eyes came to mind, as did his warm smile. I shook my head as if to dispel the image. “A husband is the last thing I’m concerned about finding at the moment, Mrs. Granton.”

Finding a way to trust my heart again…that would have to come first. 

How can readers find you on the Internet?

Facebook: facebook.com/DawnCrandallWritesFirst
Book Review Blog: www.APassionforPages.blogspot.com
Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/dawnwritesfirst
Twitter: @dawnwritesfirst / www.twitter.com/dawnwritesfirst
Author Website: www.dawncrandall.blogspot.com
Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/bilhmv

GoodReads: www.goodreads.com/dawn_crandall

Amazon: www.amazon.com/author/dawncrandall

Thank you, Dawn, for sharing this new book with us. And congratulations of winning the Gayle Wilson Award.

Readers, here’s a link to the book. By using it when you order, you help support this blog.
The Captive Imposter (The Everstone Chronicles Book 3)

Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. Please tell us where you live, at least the state or territory. (Comments containing links may be subject to removal by blog owner.)

Void where prohibited; the odds of winning depend on the number of entrants. Entering the giveaway is considered a confirmation of eligibility on behalf of the enterer in accord with these rules and any pertaining local/federal/international laws.

The only notification you’ll receive is the winner post on this blog. So be sure to check back a week from Saturday to see if you won. You will have 4 weeks from the posting of the winners to claim your book.

If you’re reading this on Goodreads, Google+, Feedblitz, Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, or Amazon, please come to the blog to leave your comment if you want to be included in the drawing. Here’s a link:
Http://lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com 

WINNERS!!!!!

Sm (CA) is the winner of Jessie's Pearls by Patti Lacy.

Bonnie (KY) is the winner of The Pharaoh's Daughter by Mesu Andrews.

Sharon (SC) is the winner of The Postcard by Laura V Hilton.

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If you won a book and you like it, consider giving the author the courtesy of writing a review on Goodreads, Amazon.com, Christianbooks.com, Barnes and Noble, or other Internet sites. 

Also, tell your friends about the book ... and this blog. Thank you.

Congratulations, everyone. If you won a print book, send me your mailing address:
Click the Contact Me link at the top of the blog, and send me an Email.

If you won an ebook, just let me know what email address it should be sent to.

When you contact me, please give the title of the book you won, so I won't have to look it up.

Remember, you have 4 weeks to claim your book.

Sachse, Texas, here I come!!!!!

UNBOUND - J B Simmons - One Free Book

Welcome, J B. Tell us how much of yourself you write into your characters.

When I write, I try to get myself out of the way. Every character may have some little piece of me, but there are also pieces of those around me and of universal human nature. I’m fascinated by personality types, and these can play a big part in figuring out who a character is. At the end of the day, if a character can’t hold his or her own outside my mind, that character won’t add much to a story.

What is the quirkiest thing you have ever done?

I like running. I like biking. I like Sparta. So a couple years ago, when a friend and I signed up for a “Muddy Buddy” trail race, we decided this couldn’t be just any race. This was a race for Spartans. We donned scarlet togas and charged through the forest and mud pits. We may not have made the cut for 300, but it was pretty epic … and quirky.

When did you first discover that you were a writer?

I went to law school with a goal of sharpening my writing skills. Then, about seven years ago, late one night, I was toiling over a legal brief and asking myself hard questions: “Who am I, why am I here, what am I doing?” An answer flashed in my mind like a bolt of lightning: “You are a writer.” It took me a while to lean into that calling, but ever since, I’ve felt peace when filling a page with words.

Tell us the range of the kinds of books you enjoy reading.

I try to read too many books at once. So, I’m sticking to four books of four different types. Here are the types with a recent example each: (1) Non-fiction on personal growth and faith (Celebration of Discipline); (2) Historical or religious fiction that teaches me something I need to learn (The Lion’s Gate); (3) Epic, complex, and long fiction (The Wheel of Time); (4) Fun and fast fiction, often Young Adult (The Fault in our Stars).    

How do you keep your sanity in our run, run, run world?

I start with a quiet time every morning. I drink coffee, then I write. Things get hectic from there: three kids under age five, an intriguing day job, and sweeping events of the world. But my morning ritual anchors me down. Even if I’m crazy by the end of a day, I can try again the next day, starting with quiet time, coffee, and writing. It’s all about the process—“running with endurance the race that’s set before us.”

How do you choose your characters’ names?

First, it’s a gut instinct. Often the names are symbolic or representative of a character trait. But I’m not wedded to the initial name I use. Several characters’ names have changed through the editing process. (For those who have read my Gloaming books, you’ll never guess Andor’s original name…)

What is the accomplishment that you are most proud of?

Marrying my wife. She’s the most amazing person I know. I wouldn’t be anywhere close to the person I am today without her in my life.

If you were an animal, which one would you be, and why?

Speaking of my better half, I asked her this question. Her answer: a puma. The Wikipedia description is pretty spot-on: the puma is “crepuscular” (there’s your word of the day—it means most active at dawn and dusk), “capable of sprinting,” and “typically an ambush predator.” That’s me, a crepuscular ambush predator!

Thanks for the new word of the day. I’d never heard that one, and I have a rather large vocabulary. What is your favorite food?

Does coffee count? No? Well, then, I like salty more than sweet. I eat an unusual amount of tasty chips. Favorite kind: Red Hot Blues. 

What is the problem with writing that was your greatest roadblock, and how did you overcome it?

Creating the habit of writing every day. It took me years to write my first book. It took me a couple months to write the first draft of Unbound. Writing is so much better when it’s regular. Two books had huge impacts on me in this area: On Writing by Stephen King and The War of Art by Steven Pressfield. If you’re serious about writing, they’re must-reads. 

Tell us about the featured book.

Unbound started with little questions about a huge idea. The book of Revelation says that, after one thousand years bound in chains, “the dragon, that ancient serpent ... must be released for a little while.” That’s hard to understand. Why would anyone unleash the bad guy? What would the bad guy do, and how long is a little while? 

I began writing about this and, pretty soon, the characters spun the story into a trilogy.  National radio host Hugh Hewitt describes the story as “The Da Vinci Code meets The Hunger Games meets Left Behind.” It has elements of all of those. My aim was to make it a gripping, thrilling read, and readers seem to agree. A common thread of readers’ reviews is that Unbound offers a fresh look at the end times—and it’s hard to put down.

Here’s the back blurb:

He must be released for a little while.
But the one who sees doesn’t believe.

Elijah Goldsmith has nightmares he needs to ignore. Why would a rich kid from Manhattan dream three straight nights about a dragon and the destruction of St. Peter’s Basilica? He’s never even been to Rome.

It’s bad timing, too. He’s graduating soon and applying to be a spy in the International Security Agency. That’s where he meets Naomi. She’s the kind of girl who makes boys like Elijah want to share their secrets. Were they brought together to learn what his secrets mean? There’s more to their sparks than they think.

This is 2066, the year the world ends.

Sounds intriguing. Please give us the first page of the book.

My pleasure! Here it is (plus a little extra):

I stood in the piazza facing St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. Bodies pressed around me and a pope’s voice boomed in my ears. The ground began to tremble, as if aching under the crowd’s weight. The cobblestones lurched under my feet. I staggered, tripped over someone, and fell flat on my back. People started running and screaming.

The sky darkened like nothing I’d ever seen. Lightning rolled through black clouds that were not there a moment before. A bolt struck the center of the piazza, hitting the cross atop the towering obelisk. The thunderclap was deafening. The obelisk tilted and fell, taking the cross down with it. Just as it crashed on the ground, the piazza split open—as if a giant had grabbed the colonnades on either side and ripped them apart. Hundreds of people plummeted into the chasm as I scrambled away to the piazza’s far edge.

The splitting earth spread to the Basilica. Spider-web cracks splintered over the dome. The ancient stone groaned, swayed, and then imploded on itself. An enormous cloud of dust and debris billowed out into the chaos.

Then a shape rose from the chasm. Where the obelisk had been, a creature hovered low in the sky. It was like a dragon, but no storybook dragon. Ribbons of shadow and smoke coiled and danced around its long, slender form. Above its sentient face, onyx horns the size of trees stabbed into the sky. Its wings covered the entire width of the piazza.

A man walked toward the creature and paused at the chasm’s edge. The creature fixed its red eyes on him as if seeing an old friend. He was a stunning man, with a flawless face and dark hair to his shoulders. His gray suit showed no blemish or wrinkle, despite the wind and the chaos. I knew him, but I could not name him. I couldn’t say anything. I couldn’t move. I could only feel the blackness, feel the end. It had to end.

And then it did. I woke up covered in sweat.

This was three nights in a row. Three nights of the same stupid nightmare. It had come from nowhere. I’d never even been to Rome.

I sat up, rubbed my eyes, and ran my hands through my hair. Today of all days, I could not have these visions in my head.

Wow! Just wow! How can readers find you on the Internet?

The best place is my website: www.jbsimmons.com.  I’m also on Twitter @jbsimmonslight and Facebook.

Thank you, J B, for sharing this book with us. It sounds powerful. I know my readers will like it.

Readers, here are links to the book. By using one when you order, you help support this blog.
Unbound (The Omega Trilogy) (Volume 1) - Paperback
Unbound (The Omega Trilogy Book 1) - Kindle

Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. Please tell us where you live, at least the state or territory. (Comments containing links may be subject to removal by blog owner.)

Void where prohibited; the odds of winning depend on the number of entrants. Entering the giveaway is considered a confirmation of eligibility on behalf of the enterer in accord with these rules and any pertaining local/federal/international laws.

The only notification you’ll receive is the winner post on this blog. So be sure to check back a week from Saturday to see if you won. You will have 4 weeks from the posting of the winners to claim your book.

If you’re reading this on Goodreads, Google+, Feedblitz, Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, or Amazon, please come to the blog to leave your comment if you want to be included in the drawing. Here’s a link:
Http://lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com